Bear "pulled chains" yesterday. That means that he is finally on his way to prison. He'd hoped not to go until his sentence was almost over so that he may not have to go at all or for only a short period of time.
He'll go to "A&R" first.
"Inmates with felony convictions and sentenced by the courts to the Department of Corrections are received by the Assessment and Reception Center (A&R), which handles ALL the inmates in the state. Normally, there are over 1,600 inmates in county jails awaiting transfer for initial assessment {which explains why he's only just now going to prison even though he was sentenced over 5 months ago}.
The Department of Corrections’ philosophy is that inmate re-entry begins at entry. As such, inmates serving 100 years or less undergo a complete needs assessment to determine what treatment the inmate requires to reduce their probability of recidivism. Case Plans are established utilizing objective assessments; to determine the need for substance abuse treatment, cognitive behavioral programs, education, vocational training, sex offender treatment, etc. {This is when Bear's mental illness will hopefully be re-diagnosed and he'll get back on meds}. Inmates are also classified to Maximum, Medium, or Minimum security. The inmate’s custody level is determined utilizing the most serious current offense, seriousness of previous offenses; escape risk, number of prior convictions, and additional risk factors. Placement of inmates at facilities is made to meet the department’s mission of protecting the public, staff and inmates."
Bear had one of his friends contact us from the jail, because he'll be incommunicado for awhile. I'd just sent him a letter with a check (we pay for his hygiene and things like mail needs) so no idea how or when he'll get that. Ooh, that reminds me, I hope Hubby hadn't just added to the collect call account. :(
Bear recently asked us to send him a coat since this year is supposed to be colder than last year, but don't know if he can still get that in prison. His family in Oklahoma is no longer visiting him so they won't be bringing him one (no idea what's happened to the many coats he already owned). I was just thinking I'd buy him something cheap on eBay and have it shipped straight there (since shipping was going to be the most expensive part).
No idea how long he'll be in prison. At this point, he could be home as early as March or maybe next August or even later. He is considered to have committed a non-violent crime and there is lots of over-crowding in the prison system. He is very confused about how much of his sentence he'll need to serve, and since we get our information from him, we have no idea either.
3 comments:
Better check with the DOC website before you send him a coat. The items that prisoners can receive are usually limited to soft-cover books and magazines (shipped from a vendor like Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.) and money for commisary purchases sent via money order, Western Union, or Moneygram. That's it; no clothing or toiletries. Those are provided by the prison.
You're absolutely right, Miz Kizzle. He let us know that now that he's in prison, he no longer needs a coat (he asked for that when he thought he still be in jail through Feb/ Mar. Good to know that toiletries will now be provided. Thanks!
You're welcome. Prisoners are provided with very basic toiletries (hotel-size bars of soap, toothbrushes like the ones they give out in hospitals if you forget to bring your own). For other stuff, like shower clogs and shaving cream, prisoners need a commissary account. You can probably go online and print out a list of the items available in the commissary at your son's prison. MP3 players and music are popular items.
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